Jadamba Narantungalag defeated Koji Oishi to become the One FC featherweight champion in August, and Friday’s One FC 23 event in Pasay City, Philippines, might set him next in line for a shot at the gold.
Undefeated prospect Herbert Burns will clash with former champion Honorio Banario at One FC 23 on Dec. 5, and he heard from his manager that the promotion will give him a shot at the 145-pound title if he beats Banario on Friday.
“My manager Chatri Sityodtong, founder of Evolve MMA, told me that One FC confirmed that I will fight for the title if I win this fight,” Burns told MMAFighting.com.
Burns is 4-0 in MMA with three wins inside the One FC cage. After a sub-minute finish over Edward Kelly in his promotional debut, the jiu-jitsu expert scored decision victories against Hiroshige Tanaka and Harris Sarmiento.
This time, he wants another finish.
“I don’t want this fight to go the distance,” Burns said. “I want to finish him, and I want to fight for the title next. I want to end this quickly. I want to submit him, but my hands are great and I can also knock him out. I was promised a title fight, but I want to think about this fight first.”
“I finished my first couple fights in under a minute, but that’s not easy,” he continued. “I fought a well-rounded, experienced fighter in my third fight. Harris Sarmiento had more than 60 fights in his record when I fought him, and I tried to finish him all the time. I couldn’t get the finish, but I dominated him everywhere.
“In my most recent fight, against (Hiroshige) Tanaka, I got sick days before the fight and they wanted to cancel it. I was hospitalized for two days before I went to Dubai, and that hurt my performance. I got his back in the first round and knocked him down in the second, but couldn’t finish. I got too tired, so I played it safe. This time, I’m 100 percent confident that I will finish the fight.”
After starting a successful run in the One FC cage, Evolve MMA suffered a pair of tough losses at One FC 22. Leandro Ataides lasted 17 seconds against new middleweight champion Igor Svirid, while Koji Ando dominated Zorobabel Moreira en route to a TKO victory.
“We were very sorry with our recent losses, with Zorobabel and Ataides, and those losses opened our eyes,” Burns said. “Ataides got caught, but Zorobabel was dominated standing, so we worry about our striking defense more now. My opponent is a striker, but I trained with a lot of muay thai legends for this fight.”
Banario enters the featherweight bout in a three-fight losing skid, but Burns won’t underestimate him.
“Honorio Banario was the first One FC featherweight champion and is really popular here in Asia,” he said. “He was the underdog and beat Eric Kelly to win the title. He’s well rounded and younger than me, but has a history in the striking game, and he wants to get back in the title mix.”
Jadamba Narantungalag defeated Koji Oishi to become the One FC featherweight champion in August, and Friday’s One FC 23 event in Pasay City, Philippines, might set him next in line for a shot at the gold.
Undefeated prospect Herbert Burns will clash with former champion Honorio Banario at One FC 23 on Dec. 5, and he heard from his manager that the promotion will give him a shot at the 145-pound title if he beats Banario on Friday.
“My manager Chatri Sityodtong, founder of Evolve MMA, told me that One FC confirmed that I will fight for the title if I win this fight,” Burns told MMAFighting.com.
Burns is 4-0 in MMA with three wins inside the One FC cage. After a sub-minute finish over Edward Kelly in his promotional debut, the jiu-jitsu expert scored decision victories against Hiroshige Tanaka and Harris Sarmiento.
This time, he wants another finish.
“I don’t want this fight to go the distance,” Burns said. “I want to finish him, and I want to fight for the title next. I want to end this quickly. I want to submit him, but my hands are great and I can also knock him out. I was promised a title fight, but I want to think about this fight first.”
“I finished my first couple fights in under a minute, but that’s not easy,” he continued. “I fought a well-rounded, experienced fighter in my third fight. Harris Sarmiento had more than 60 fights in his record when I fought him, and I tried to finish him all the time. I couldn’t get the finish, but I dominated him everywhere.
“In my most recent fight, against (Hiroshige) Tanaka, I got sick days before the fight and they wanted to cancel it. I was hospitalized for two days before I went to Dubai, and that hurt my performance. I got his back in the first round and knocked him down in the second, but couldn’t finish. I got too tired, so I played it safe. This time, I’m 100 percent confident that I will finish the fight.”
After starting a successful run in the One FC cage, Evolve MMA suffered a pair of tough losses at One FC 22. Leandro Ataides lasted 17 seconds against new middleweight champion Igor Svirid, while Koji Ando dominated Zorobabel Moreira en route to a TKO victory.
“We were very sorry with our recent losses, with Zorobabel and Ataides, and those losses opened our eyes,” Burns said. “Ataides got caught, but Zorobabel was dominated standing, so we worry about our striking defense more now. My opponent is a striker, but I trained with a lot of muay thai legends for this fight.”
Banario enters the featherweight bout in a three-fight losing skid, but Burns won’t underestimate him.
“Honorio Banario was the first One FC featherweight champion and is really popular here in Asia,” he said. “He was the underdog and beat Eric Kelly to win the title. He’s well rounded and younger than me, but has a history in the striking game, and he wants to get back in the title mix.”
Roger Gracie returns to the cage Friday against fellow UFC veteran James McSweeney at One FC 23, but that wasn’t his original plans after getting cut from the UFC.
Following a unanimous decision loss to Tim Kennedy in 2013, the multiple-time jiu-jitsu and ADCC champion had decided to retire from MMA, but one of the legends in his family changed his mind.
“When I told my cousin Renzo (Gracie) I was going to retire, he called me and convinced me that I had to continue fighting. We spoke, and I decided to come back,” Roger Gracie told MMAFighting.com. “He said I was too young, that I still had several years in me. He said ‘no way, you can’t retire and stop fighting’. So I decided to fight.”
Gracie then signed with Asia’s top MMA promotion One FC, and makes his promotional against McSweeney at One FC 23 in Pasay City, Philippines. After a 2-1 run as a middleweight, the Brazilian felt it was time to get back to light heavyweight.
“I feel great compared to when I was fighting at middleweight,” Gracie said. “When I was fighting at middleweight, I felt like I was going to die on fight week. Making weight at 205 is way easier.”
In fact, Gracie would do things differently if he could go back in time.
“I regret (fighting at 185 pounds) because I wasn’t physically 100 percent for any of my fights,” he said. “I won the majority of my fights, but I didn’t feel well on that weight. I felt physically tired when the fight went the distance.
“If I feel better, that makes me confident so I don’t have to hold myself back to save energy, so my strategy changes (at 205) and I can fight more aggressively. I know I can do what I want and I won’t get tired. When you’re tired, the fight is over.”
McSweeney enters the bout riding a three-fight finishing streak including one submission victory, but Gracie doesn’t think “The Hammer” believes in his jiu-jitsu enough to take him down.
“I know he’s strong, he likes to strike, but he doesn’t feel comfortable in the clinch and on the ground. I’m sure he trained to keep the fight standing and stay away from the ground,” he said. “I don’t believe he has the illusion that he can win taking me to the ground, so I’m sure he’ll make everything he can to avoid it.”
McSweeney is 14-11 in MMA with five submission victories, but that doesn’t mean much, especially when you’re fighting a 10-time jiu-jitsu world champion.
“The fighters he submitted have a poor level in jiu-jitsu,” he said. “Maybe he can survive a little longer on the ground with me, but I have a history in jiu-jitsu and I don’t think he will try to grapple with me. I think he believes his striking is better than mine, so he will want to keep the fight there.
“(My BJJ credentials) makes my opponents think twice before risking fighting on the ground with me. I don’t expect him or basically anyone else wanting to take me down to beat me there.”
Expecting McSweeney to try keeping it standing, Roger Gracie finished his camp at Evolve MMA in Singapore.
“This is the third time I come to Evolve MMA in Singapore, but my first time training for a fight. The level here is so high, especially in the striking area,” he said. “They brought many Thai fighters, several world champions. The level here is great, even the coaches here compete, so you have great training every day.”
Roger Gracie returns to the cage Friday against fellow UFC veteran James McSweeney at One FC 23, but that wasn’t his original plans after getting cut from the UFC.
Following a unanimous decision loss to Tim Kennedy in 2013, the multiple-time jiu-jitsu and ADCC champion had decided to retire from MMA, but one of the legends in his family changed his mind.
“When I told my cousin Renzo (Gracie) I was going to retire, he called me and convinced me that I had to continue fighting. We spoke, and I decided to come back,” Roger Gracie told MMAFighting.com. “He said I was too young, that I still had several years in me. He said ‘no way, you can’t retire and stop fighting’. So I decided to fight.”
Gracie then signed with Asia’s top MMA promotion One FC, and makes his promotional against McSweeney at One FC 23 in Pasay City, Philippines. After a 2-1 run as a middleweight, the Brazilian felt it was time to get back to light heavyweight.
“I feel great compared to when I was fighting at middleweight,” Gracie said. “When I was fighting at middleweight, I felt like I was going to die on fight week. Making weight at 205 is way easier.”
In fact, Gracie would do things differently if he could go back in time.
“I regret (fighting at 185 pounds) because I wasn’t physically 100 percent for any of my fights,” he said. “I won the majority of my fights, but I didn’t feel well on that weight. I felt physically tired when the fight went the distance.
“If I feel better, that makes me confident so I don’t have to hold myself back to save energy, so my strategy changes (at 205) and I can fight more aggressively. I know I can do what I want and I won’t get tired. When you’re tired, the fight is over.”
McSweeney enters the bout riding a three-fight finishing streak including one submission victory, but Gracie doesn’t think “The Hammer” believes in his jiu-jitsu enough to take him down.
“I know he’s strong, he likes to strike, but he doesn’t feel comfortable in the clinch and on the ground. I’m sure he trained to keep the fight standing and stay away from the ground,” he said. “I don’t believe he has the illusion that he can win taking me to the ground, so I’m sure he’ll make everything he can to avoid it.”
McSweeney is 14-11 in MMA with five submission victories, but that doesn’t mean much, especially when you’re fighting a 10-time jiu-jitsu world champion.
“The fighters he submitted have a poor level in jiu-jitsu,” he said. “Maybe he can survive a little longer on the ground with me, but I have a history in jiu-jitsu and I don’t think he will try to grapple with me. I think he believes his striking is better than mine, so he will want to keep the fight there.
“(My BJJ credentials) makes my opponents think twice before risking fighting on the ground with me. I don’t expect him or basically anyone else wanting to take me down to beat me there.”
Expecting McSweeney to try keeping it standing, Roger Gracie finished his camp at Evolve MMA in Singapore.
“This is the third time I come to Evolve MMA in Singapore, but my first time training for a fight. The level here is so high, especially in the striking area,” he said. “They brought many Thai fighters, several world champions. The level here is great, even the coaches here compete, so you have great training every day.”
The UFC will be making its first trip to Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2015.
Porto Alegre, the hometown of recently crowned UFC heavyweight interim champion Fabricio Werdum, will host UFC Fight Night 61 on Feb. 22, the UFC announced Thursday. MM…
The UFC will be making its first trip to Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2015.
Porto Alegre, the hometown of recently crowned UFC heavyweight interim champion Fabricio Werdum, will host UFC Fight Night 61 on Feb. 22, the UFC announced Thursday. MMAFighting.com first reported the Feb. 22 date for Brazil.
Fights are yet to be announced, but the event will take place at the 13,000-seat Gigantinho gymnasium. The arena could possibly draw up to 15,000 fans for a UFC event.
The promotion announced that Werdum will be the “ambassador” at the event.
The next UFC card in Brazil is scheduled for Dec. 20 in Barueri, Sao Paulo. Headlined by Lyoto Machida vs. C.B. Dollaway, UFC Fight Night 58 also features the return of former bantamweight champion Renan Barao facing Mitch Gagnon in the co-main event.
Caio Magalhaes’ 31-second knockout victory over Trevor Smith at UFC Fight Night 56 in Uberlandia, Brazil, will not be overturned.
Smith filed an appeal to Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) claiming that Magalhaes landed illegal punches to the back of the head moments before the finish at UFN 56 on Nov. 8. However, the commission has decided against him.
Here’s CABMMA’s response to Smith and his manager Will Hammond, forwarded to MMAFighting.com by Smith:
First, we need to stress that CABMMA follows the guidelines of the Nevada State Athletic Commission and, therefore, needed time to conduct the relevant research and analysis of precedents involving such agency to decide on how to proceed.
In this sense, CABMMA will not change a decision rendered at the end of any contest or exhibition unless (i) it determines that there was a collusion affecting the relevant result, (ii) the compilation of the scorecards of the judges discloses an error which shows that the decision was given to the wrong athlete, or (iii) as the result of an error interpreting a provision of our rules and regulations, the referee has rendered an incorrect decision.
The allegations contained in your e-mail do not fall in (i) or (ii), and moreover are not within the scope of (iii) above since the appeal is not based on a misinterpretation of the rules and regulations leading to the result of the bout, but rather on a judgment call of a trained and experienced referee based on Mr. Trevor Smith’s KO due to Mr. Caio Magalhães legal strikes, confirmed by Mr. Keith Patterson.
Consequently, there is no action CABMMA can take at this time and the result is maintained.
Magalhaes’ UFC record stands at 4-1. Smith, dropped to 2-3 under the UFC banner with the loss, isn’t happy with CABMMA’s decision.
“The rules for the sport are there to protect the athletes,” Smith told MMAFighting.com. “If a ref misses blatant fouls the commission should be able to review and reverse the decision. Things seem to be different with CABMMA.”
The unpleasant end of his trip to Brazil won’t stop Smith from wanting to fight in Brazil one more time.
“I would love to fight in Brazil again,” Smith said. “It would definitely be more of a street fight mentality. If the ref doesn’t catch it, you can get away with anything. Who doesn’t want to fight in the wild wild west of the MMA world?”
Caio Magalhaes’ 31-second knockout victory over Trevor Smith at UFC Fight Night 56 in Uberlandia, Brazil, will not be overturned.
Smith filed an appeal to Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) claiming that Magalhaes landed illegal punches to the back of the head moments before the finish at UFN 56 on Nov. 8. However, the commission has decided against him.
Here’s CABMMA’s response to Smith and his manager Will Hammond, forwarded to MMAFighting.com by Smith:
First, we need to stress that CABMMA follows the guidelines of the Nevada State Athletic Commission and, therefore, needed time to conduct the relevant research and analysis of precedents involving such agency to decide on how to proceed.
In this sense, CABMMA will not change a decision rendered at the end of any contest or exhibition unless (i) it determines that there was a collusion affecting the relevant result, (ii) the compilation of the scorecards of the judges discloses an error which shows that the decision was given to the wrong athlete, or (iii) as the result of an error interpreting a provision of our rules and regulations, the referee has rendered an incorrect decision.
The allegations contained in your e-mail do not fall in (i) or (ii), and moreover are not within the scope of (iii) above since the appeal is not based on a misinterpretation of the rules and regulations leading to the result of the bout, but rather on a judgment call of a trained and experienced referee based on Mr. Trevor Smith’s KO due to Mr. Caio Magalhães legal strikes, confirmed by Mr. Keith Patterson.
Consequently, there is no action CABMMA can take at this time and the result is maintained.
Magalhaes’ UFC record stands at 4-1. Smith, dropped to 2-3 under the UFC banner with the loss, isn’t happy with CABMMA’s decision.
“The rules for the sport are there to protect the athletes,” Smith told MMAFighting.com. “If a ref misses blatant fouls the commission should be able to review and reverse the decision. Things seem to be different with CABMMA.”
The unpleasant end of his trip to Brazil won’t stop Smith from wanting to fight in Brazil one more time.
“I would love to fight in Brazil again,” Smith said. “It would definitely be more of a street fight mentality. If the ref doesn’t catch it, you can get away with anything. Who doesn’t want to fight in the wild wild west of the MMA world?”
Coming off a huge win over Nam Phan, Mike Richman returns against a former champion in March.
Richman, who needed 46 seconds to knock Phan out on Nov. 15, is set to collide with former Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas at Bellato…
Coming off a huge win over Nam Phan, Mike Richman returns against a former champion in March.
Richman, who needed 46 seconds to knock Phan out on Nov. 15, is set to collide with former Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 134 in Thackerville, Oklahoma, on March 27. Lancenet first reported the bout, and MMAFighting.com confirmed with sources close to the situation.
Dantas (16-4) returns to the cage following a unanimous decision loss to Joe Warren on Oct. 10, suffering his first loss under the Bellator banner. “Dudu” holds a 6-1 record in the promotion with wins over the likes of Anthony Leone, Marcos Galvao, Zach Makovsky and Wilson Reis.
Following back-to-back decision losses to Des Green and Goiti Yamauchi earlier this year, Richman (18-5) bounced back to the win column with a pair of finishes over Ed West and Nam Phan. The one-time tournament finalist holds a 7-4 Bellator record.
Bellator 134 is set to take place at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, and will be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Joe Warren and Marco Galvao.
Bibiano Fernandes puts his One FC bantamweight title on the line for the second time Friday, Dec. 5, against undefeated Dae Hwan Kim. Seven years older than the South Korean prospect, the Brazilian grappler expects anything at Philippines’ One FC 23.
“He’s a dangerous kid, and considering him a dangerous guy is good for me because I’m literally expecting anything in the fight,” Fernandes told MMAFighting.com. “I never expect an easy fight. He’s dangerous. He has some good leg kicks and is explosive.
“That kid is good. His jiu-jitsu is good, he has some submissions, but I’m ready. I train everything. Anything he does, I will find a way to win.”
Kim is 10-0-1 in MMA with five submission victories, but Fernandes, a multiple time jiu-jitsu champion, will be surprised if Kim tries to grapple with him at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
“I have a friend who lives in South Korea and he texted me saying that (Kim) said in an interview that he wants to stand with me, and also take me down,” Fernandes said. “I said ‘brother, I already expected that’. He will try to keep it standing and knock me out. I will be surprised if he tries to take me down, actually, but I’m training for everything. I’m expecting everything from this kid.”
Despite having five submission wins in MMA, Kim’s jiu-jitsu “isn’t great”, according to Fernandes.
“He’s not a talented guy,” Fernandes said. “He’s good, that kid is good, he’s aggressive and explosive and does everything to win. He has a good jiu-jitsu, but it’s not a great jiu-jitsu. His muay thai is better than his jiu-jitsu. He also has a good takedown defense, but his takedowns aren’t good.”
To finish his training camp, Fernandes once again moved to the United States to train with UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.
“I finish my camps here with Demetrious Johnson since 2009,” he said. “I was still fighting at DREAM when I first trained here. We help each other a lot. He’s doing great in the UFC, and we help each other all the time. It’s great to have him training with me.”
Fighting twice a year since signing with One FC, “The Flash” believes that’s the best move for his career and health.
“Sometimes I wish I could fight more, but it’s also good to wait and take care of my body,” he said. “I’m a fighter and I want to fight all the time, but I have to be smart. For an example, look what happened to (former UFC bantamweight champion) Renan Barao. Your body can’t handle it.”
“I think that fighting twice a year is good,” he added. “If I can fight three times in one year, great, I can do it, but I have to think about my body and my health. If I want to compete for years, I have to slow down. We get hit too many times, so I have to be careful.”
Bibiano Fernandes puts his One FC bantamweight title on the line for the second time Friday, Dec. 5, against undefeated Dae Hwan Kim. Seven years older than the South Korean prospect, the Brazilian grappler expects anything at Philippines’ One FC 23.
“He’s a dangerous kid, and considering him a dangerous guy is good for me because I’m literally expecting anything in the fight,” Fernandes told MMAFighting.com. “I never expect an easy fight. He’s dangerous. He has some good leg kicks and is explosive.
“That kid is good. His jiu-jitsu is good, he has some submissions, but I’m ready. I train everything. Anything he does, I will find a way to win.”
Kim is 10-0-1 in MMA with five submission victories, but Fernandes, a multiple time jiu-jitsu champion, will be surprised if Kim tries to grapple with him at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
“I have a friend who lives in South Korea and he texted me saying that (Kim) said in an interview that he wants to stand with me, and also take me down,” Fernandes said. “I said ‘brother, I already expected that’. He will try to keep it standing and knock me out. I will be surprised if he tries to take me down, actually, but I’m training for everything. I’m expecting everything from this kid.”
Despite having five submission wins in MMA, Kim’s jiu-jitsu “isn’t great”, according to Fernandes.
“He’s not a talented guy,” Fernandes said. “He’s good, that kid is good, he’s aggressive and explosive and does everything to win. He has a good jiu-jitsu, but it’s not a great jiu-jitsu. His muay thai is better than his jiu-jitsu. He also has a good takedown defense, but his takedowns aren’t good.”
To finish his training camp, Fernandes once again moved to the United States to train with UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.
“I finish my camps here with Demetrious Johnson since 2009,” he said. “I was still fighting at DREAM when I first trained here. We help each other a lot. He’s doing great in the UFC, and we help each other all the time. It’s great to have him training with me.”
Fighting twice a year since signing with One FC, “The Flash” believes that’s the best move for his career and health.
“Sometimes I wish I could fight more, but it’s also good to wait and take care of my body,” he said. “I’m a fighter and I want to fight all the time, but I have to be smart. For an example, look what happened to (former UFC bantamweight champion) Renan Barao. Your body can’t handle it.”
“I think that fighting twice a year is good,” he added. “If I can fight three times in one year, great, I can do it, but I have to think about my body and my health. If I want to compete for years, I have to slow down. We get hit too many times, so I have to be careful.”
